Because I Love Him
by Sunr1se
Summary: Stockholm syndrome, or capture-bonding, is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness
1. The Future

"How is he Matthew?" Yao asked as Matthew exited the interrogation room.

"He still refuses to admit anything," Matthew said with a sigh. "Have you ever heard of Stockholm syndrome?"

"Yes, I have. I am a doctor you know."

"Yao-nii, what does he mean by that?" Matthew glanced to see the three other children standing next to Yao.

"It means that your brother believes he is in love with that bastard," Matthew replied as he answered Im Yong Soo's question.

"But why?" this time it was Meimei who asked the question. Matthew just smiled at the 12 year old girl.

**"**Stockholm syndrome, or capture-bonding, is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness, or sometimes love," Matthew replied.

"So since he is no longer with him does that mean that nii-san will go back to normal?" Kaoru asked as he looked at both Yao and Matthew.

"It's not that simple Kaoru, it's going to take a while for your brother to go back to normal. And for that he will need all the help he can get from all of you." All three kids nodded before Matthew turned back to Yao. "Alfred is still interrogating him. So you guys might want to sit back down. I'll tell you when it's over."

**APH**

_"Don't trust anything that they tell you. Everything they will say is nothing but lies. They are doing it to confuse you, and then they will lure you in and hurt you. I am the only person you can trust."_

"Lies! He never harmed me!" Alfred sighed as he stared at the nineteen year old sitting in front of him.

"We want to help you Kiku. But we need you to tell us everything that happened."

"He never harmed me. Why don't you guys understand that?"

"Then what are those?" Alfred waved his hand at the bruises that were visible around Kiku's neck and some that were on his face.

"He didn't do anything," Kiku stubbornly replied remembering everything he had been told about _them._ About everyone that claimed to be his friend.

_"They will pretend to be on your side. They will try to feed you lies to turn you against me. Don't believe any of them."_

_'That's right. Don't believe them.'_ Kiku thought as he began ignoring what the policeman was telling him.

"Lies, you are telling me nothing but lies," Kiku finally replied after Alfred's mini speech about all the monstrosities Arthur had done.

"You know I am not lying. You saw and experienced everything he has been doing until now. You are lucky you didn't go the way many of the others went."

"Lies, you say nothing but lies."

"When will you see that he has been using you?"

"He is not using me! He loves me and I love him!" Kiku exclaimed as he slammed his hands down on the table and stood up. "Why are you people trying to tell me otherwise? You are all nothing but liars!"

_Knock. Knock._

Alfred sighed and he stood up and opened the door.

"The interrogation is over now Alfred. His family is here to pick him up." Matthew said as he pushed the door open even more. "Come Kiku your family's here." Kiku just stood there and stared at Matthew, obviously wondering whether to trust the detective. Then after a while he slowly walked over to Matthew and allowed him to lead him away.

"Kiku-nii!" Kiku stumbled a bit as he was almost tumbled over as he was hugged by his three younger siblings. He just stood there as all three of them snuggled into him.

_"Remember. Don't let them know you are suspicious of your family. Just be warned. They already turned your family against our relationship. But we can't let them know that. So just act normal around them."_

"I missed you guys," Kiku said as he finally hugged his siblings back.

"We missed you as well," Meimei exclaimed as they finally let go of Kiku. Then Kiku was pulled into another hug as Yao hugged him. Kiku sighed as he snuggled into his older brother.

"Yao-nii. I missed you as well," Kiku mumbled into Yao's shirt.

"Oh, Kiku. I am so happy that you are alright. Now come, let's go home." Yao said as he led Kiku out of the police station. "Thanks for all your help, Matthew and Alfred." Both of them watched as the family left.

"Is there any sign of him yet Alfred?" Matthew said with a sigh as he turned to look at Alfred.

"None at all. Ivan is still searching around, and he is trying to get some of the other police departments to help us as well."

"I hope we catch him soon," Matthew sighed as he looked at the file he had in his hand. "And I believe he might be the clue we need in order to catch him."

**Author's Note:**

I know, I know. The summary is lame. I actually came up with this story before The Ninja and the Pirate and Fear Garden. But I kind of got hooked up on those so I actually delayed a while (about a month) to actually write Chapter 01. Will be posting next chapter tomorrow!


	2. and the Beginning

**_Three Years Ago_**

**_(1/12)_**

"I'm home!"

"Aniki has returned!" Im Yong Soo shouted as he pounced on Yao.

"Nii-san!" Meimei quickly followed Im Yong Soo and pounced on Yao as well.

"Meimei! Im Yong Soo! Where are Kaoru and Kiku?"

"They-"

"Oh, Yao-nii you have arrived," Yao glanced to see Kiku peeking from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready soon." Kiku added as he went back into the kitchen. Meimei giggled and looked at Yao

"How was your day Yao-nii."

"Not very busy considering the cold weather is still here. Have you guys finished your homework?"

"We have! Kiku-nii already checked it, and he did his own as well." Im Yong Soo replied as he waved towards the living room. They suddenly heard the sounds of the table being set.

"Yay! Food!" Meimei exclaimed as she zoomed immediately into the dining room. Yao and Im Yong Soo just shook their heads as they followed her.

"How was school today?"

"Fine"

"Boring"

"Ok, I guess…"

"Fine"

Yao just shook his head at the four replies he got.

"Okay, we'll emphasize," Im Yong Soo said, grinning. "Mine was boring, because I had to take tests today."

"Mine's fine, because nothing special happened today," Kaoru calmly replied.

"Mine too," Meimei with a smile. Then all eyes landed on Kiku who appeared to be deep in thought. Then he blinked when he spotted them staring at him.

"Nothing special happened," Kiku finally replied. "Just the same routine as usual."

"Hey, did you guys hear that our next door neighbor moved?" Im Yong Soo asked unexpectedly.

"No, who told you that?"

"The one lady that lives across the street from us. The one whose name I can't remember."

"Guess Kiku-nii lost his only friend in the block," Kaoru murmured as he continued eating.

"Huh? Kiku-nii actually socialized with someone apart from Feliciano and Ludwig?" Meimei looked at her older brother as she spoke.

"Well… he actually would be the one doing the talking. I would just listen most of the time, and that was like every day after school when I passed his house. And I did notice because he told me." Kiku replied as he calmly continued eating.

"All right then, Kaoru it's your turn to wash the dishes. The rest of you show me your homework."

"But we already showed it to Kiku-nii!" Yao rolled his eyes at the three protests that came up. "I still want to see it."

"It's in the living room," Im Yong Soo replied as he and Meimei headed over there with Yao and Kiku following close behind. Im Yong Soo waved at one of the four piles of notebooks. "Kaoru's is there if you want to check it."

**_(1/30) 18:31_**

"Yes, who is this?"

"Oh, Im Yong Soo… Is Yao-nii home?"

"Of course not, and aren't you due back home in like ten minutes?" Im Yong Soo asked as he glanced at the clock.

"Shitte imasu. That's the reason I called. When Yao-nii gets home can you tell him I get out of work today at closing time? Apart from the fact it's busy today, Lily couldn't make it since she fell sick yesterday."

"Huh? Doesn't the bookstore close until eleven?" Im Yong Soo glanced at the clock again. 18:32.

"I know it does. So can you tell him for me, please?"

"Fine, I will."

"Oh, Im Yong Soo."

"Yes?"

"Don't fool around today and take care of both Meimei and Kaoru, okay? Kaoru will most likely start making dinner by himself so you don't have to worry about that. Make sure Meimei does her homework, and you better do yours too. I have to go, take care."

"We will, and you better be careful too."

"I will, jaane."

"Jaane"

**_(1/30) 23:02_**

"Bye Kiku! Thanks for taking over Lily's shift." Kiku looked up to see Bella as she waved at him.

"It was nothing Bella, I am glad to help."

"Would you like a ride?"

"No thank you. I have my bike and my house isn't that far from here." Kiku replied as he took his bike out of the bike rack.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Thanks for the offer though."

"See you later!" Bella waved at him again as she zoomed off to where her car was parked. Kiku made sure the lights on his bike were working before he headed for home.

_'I will have to be quite when I get there. I believe everyone will be asleep and I don't want to wake them up.'_ He looked around to see that the place was practically empty and silent, with the exception that every once in a while a car will go by, or he will spot the stray cats that wandered around in the night.

_'Wish I could have one, but we cannot afford to have pets at this time.'_ He was pedaling across an intersection when the bright headlights of a car momentarily blinded him. Out of reflex he swerved the bike, but the car hit the back wheel knocking him to the ground. He was struggling to get up when he heard someone walking over. He looked up to see the car that hit him parked nearby and the driver was hurrying over. He blinked in surprise as he recognized the person that hurried over.

"Asa! What are you doing here?" Kiku asked forgetting he had been trying to get back up.

"I was just passing by. I am sorry I didn't see you," Arthur knelt next to him and began inspecting him.

"It's alright Asa. I was distracted as well," Kiku replied as he winced as Arthur inspected his left leg.

"Thankfully nothing appears to be broken. Do you think you can stand up?" Kiku tried a couple of times before shaking his head. "Wait here." Kiku looked as Arthur went back to his car. As he waited he checked his bike. The entire back tire was definitely going to have to replaced. The rest of the bike was still in good shape, with the exception of the scrapes that it got for crashing into the pavement.

_'I am so going to have to take the bus now,'_ he thought. _'Next week I get my paycheck so I will be able to replace the wheel… and I don't like buses. They can get too crowded…'_ Kiku sighed and looked up when Arthur came back. Arthur carefully picked him up and carefully put him down on the back seat of the car. Then he left and brought the bike, which he tied to the roof of the car.

"Here, you must be thirsty," Arthur handed Kiku a water bottle. "Want me to take you to a hospital?"

"No. There is no need to. Yao-nii can inspect me instead. He's a doctor." Kiku replied as he drained half of the water. "Can you please take me home?"

"Of course, and if you want I can pay for you to replace the tire." Arthur replied as he started the car's engine. He glanced up at the rear view mirror to see Kiku finish the water.

"Really? Thank you very much! I'll repay you later!"

"There's no need to, after all it's my fault it got wrecked. So I am the one doing the repaying around here." Kiku glanced to see him smiling at him through the mirror. Kiku smiled at him in return.

"Thank You." Kiku glanced outside the window as they drove off…

**Author's Note:**

Yay! Here's Chapter 2.

**Shitte Imasu:** I know.

**Jaane:** Goodbye (Informal expression used among friends)


	3. The Gifts

**_Present Time:_**

**_(8/23)_**

**_6 Days After Being Rescued_**

"Do you remember what happened on the 30th of January three years ago?"

"Yes"

"Can you tell us how Arthur kidnapped you?"

"He didn't kidnap me. I went with him on my own accord." Alfred sighed as Kiku continued to deny the obvious truth.

"Don't argue with him," Matthew interrupted before Alfred could continue. "Let him tell us what happened."

"Fine," Alfred turned back to Kiku who was calmly glaring at him. "Can you tell us, in your own words, what happened that day?"

"Hai. If I remember correctly it was… a Sunday. I babysat my three younger siblings, since Yao-nii works in the morning. I left them at around 11:30 since I had to go to work and the bookstore is like half an hour away. I got there in time for my shift, which started at noon. My shift ended at 6, but Bella asked me if I could stay until closing time." Kiku stopped for a moment as he tried to remember what happened next.

"Oh, she asked me to stay because Lily fell sick. We were pretty busy that day, and we needed the money so I agreed. I called home and Im Yong Soo answered. I told him that I was staying and I gave him a small lecture on what to do since I wasn't going to go home at that time. I stayed a bit and talked to Bella after my double shift ended, and I made my way home on my bike."

_So far it matches everything that we got from his family and fellow co-workers. But it's after he and Bella split ways that we are in the dark._

"May you please continue?" Matthew asked as Kiku continued to sit there and blankly stare at the table.

"Huh? Um…" Kiku looked at Matthew for a moment before continuing. "I was on my way home, and I got distracted thinking about trying to see if we can possibly get a pet. I guess I forgot to look where I was going, because I barely swerved out of the way of an incoming car. The car hit and wrecked the entire back tire. I was surprised that the driver stopped, and I was even more surprised to see it was Asa."

"Why were you surprised?"

"…" Kiku looked thoughtful as he looked back down at the table. "He moved. I don't know where he said he had moved off to, but I knew it was far away. So I was very surprised to see him in the area."

"You may continue."

"He inspected me to make sure that I hadn't broken any bones. Which, thankfully, I didn't. But I did get a couple of scrapes from crashing onto the pavement, and my body ached a lot from the fall. I couldn't stand up due to the pain in my left leg so he went back to his car to prepare a spot for me. He carried me back to his car, and he went back to fetch my bike."

"Did he offer to take you anywhere?"

"A hospital, but I told him no. Yao-nii is a doctor so I knew he would give me a check-up for free. But due to the fact that the scrapes were bleeding a bit badly we stopped at a pharmacy that was still open. He told me I was to stay in the car, and he locked everything before he went inside. I was tired from the double shift and the incident so I fell asleep in the backseat." Kiku stayed silent again as Matthew finished taking notes.

"Anything else?"

"Can I have my stuff back?"

"What stuff? If it's your belongings in that house than there is no way we can give them to you. That house is still being processed for evidence."

"Evidence against what? Asa didn't do anything wrong." Matthew shot Alfred a don't-argue-with-him look before turning back to Kiku.

"Sorry, but those items you have in that house will have to wait a while. We still haven't transported them over here."

"Then what about the stuff that I had on that was confiscated after you people invaded my house?"

"What do you mean by 'my' house? What makes you think that house is under your name?"

"Because he showed me the paperwork and everything. Asa wouldn't trick me like that."

"And how long ago was that?"

"He bought it as a gift for my nineteenth birthday."

_A gift?_

"So can I have my things back?"

"Yes, here you go." Matthew reached down and picked up a large paper bag and handed it to Kiku who immediately took it. He opened it and began taking out the items. He took out three small items before taking out a blue kimono. Pushing the, now empty, paper bag away he made sure the kimono was folded neatly before he picked up one of the three small items. As he stared at it he suddenly blinked and looked a bit alarmed as he looked at Matthew.

"Where's Sakura? She's my cat."

"We found her at the house, and she barely arrived today. So you can pick her up afterwards." Kiku nodded and he put on the confiscated items.

"Why are those important to you?"

"Because he gave them to me on our anniversaries."

"Anniversaries?"

"Yes, that's what we call the day when we started living together. It's, before you ask, January 30."

"Can you tell us when he gave them to you?

"Yes. This one," indicating to the black choker he now wore. "He gave me this one on the first day. This anklet was for our actual first year of living together. Sakura was given to me for our second year, and most recently was this bracelet."

"And the kimono?"

"This one in specific was given to me in August of this year. On the 10th to be exact."

_A week before you barged in and separated me from him._

"That will be enough questions for today. I believe your older brother is waiting for you." Matthew stood up as Kiku picked up the kimono and followed him. Alfred rolled his eyes as the bells jingled with Kiku's movements as those two left.

"Sakura!" Kiku exclaimed as he took his cat away from Yao, who looked surprised at what he was holding, and at what he was wearing. Then Yao looked at Matthew for an explanation.

"They are gifts that Arthur gave him, and he wanted them back. Apparently to put them back on. You might want to tell the others that."

"Of course. I will."

"What about my katana?" Kiku asked unexpectedly. Yao just stared at him in surprise.

"Since when do you even own a weapon?"

"From the moment I turned 18. He gave it to me as a birthday gift."

"That one will remain in custody for a bit longer." Matthew replied as Kiku looked at him. "We can't give it back to you yet. But don't worry we will give it back."

"Okay," Kiku replied. Matthew could tell from the look in his eyes that he didn't believe him.

"Come Kiku. The others are waiting back home." Yao took the kimono and led Kiku off. "Thanks again Matthew I will bring him for the appointment tomorrow."

"It's nothing. Take care."

**Author's Note:**

So we are now back to the present time. Hope I am not confusing anyone by switching back and forth...

**The cat is an adorable Russian Blue Cat named Sakura, and it has a pink cat collar with a small bell attached.**

**Each of the items Kiku has has some sort of bell on it. The choker has a large one, and the choker's black. The anklet is the same one I use in The Ninja and the Pirate. The Bracelet is made like the chain things on fences plus a small bell attached. The kimono is a blue as stated.**

**Any questions or comments? Please Review!**


	4. The Dark Room

**Warnings: Minor Violence Towards Minors**

**Three Years Ago…**

**(1/31)**

**Day After Kidnapture**

Kiku slowly opened his eyes and looked around. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in the backseat of Arthur's car when they had stopped at a pharmacy. He had been tired from the double-shift and the car accident that he had gotten himself into.

And now he had no idea where he was.

The room was shrouded in darkness making it difficult to see his surroundings clearly. He could tell from the angle he was at that he was laying on the floor. He could tell he was amidst a bunch of blankets and pillows.

Feeling something on his neck he started to move his hands but then froze. He then moved both of his hands in front of his face. His hands were handcuffed together. He immediately sat up, ignoring the painful protest from his body as he moved.

_Jingle. Jingle._

Kiku then moved his hands to his throat and he realized that someone had put a choker on him. The choker had a bell on it and that was where the jingling noise had come from. Realizing he couldn't take it off he inspected his feet to realize they were chained together as well.

Now that his eyes were accustomed to the near absolute darkness of the room he looked around again. There was no furniture in the room, unless you counted the makeshift bed made up of soft blankets and pillows that he was sitting on. He could see a thick heavy curtain covering the only window the room had.

He also spotted two doors, one of which he assumed led to a closet. The other had a faint streak of light at the bottom of the door. He couldn't tell if it was sunlight or artificial light. Now that he thought about it he had no way of knowing what time it was.

What day was it? Was it day or night? Where was he? Where was Arthur? Did something happen to him?

The door suddenly opened bathing the room in a torrent of light. Kiku clenched his eyes shut and lifted up his hands to protect himself from the light. He had no idea for how long he had been awake in the dark room and the light hurt his eyes. He heard someone turn on a light in the room before closing the door behind them. Kiku blinked a couple of times in order to get his eyes accustomed to the unwelcomed light. Then he moved his head when he heard someone approach him.

Kiku watched with wide eyes as Arthur knelt in front of him and put down a tray of food and medications. Before Kiku could say anything Arthur grabbed his left arm and started to remove the bandages there. Kiku continued watching as Arthur treated the scrapes he before putting fresh bandages on them.

"Asa… where have you taken me to?" Kiku finally asked as Arthur secured the bandage. Arthur didn't answer and continued checking the rest of Kiku's injuries.

"Asa, onegai. Tell me where we are." Kiku asked as he grabbed Arthur's hand.

"At my place. Don't worry I am not going to hurt you."

"I want to go home." _Everyone is going to be wondering where I am…_

"I am afraid I can't do that Kiku."

"Why? Asa… I am sure they will understand about the accident."

"Here swallow them. They are pain killers." Arthur promptly said as he ignored the question. Kiku just stared at the two pills that Arthur had handed to him. Kiku then shook his head and tried to hand them back. "Take them. They will ease the pain."

"No, I don't want them. I want to go home. Onegai Asa, I-"

Next thing Kiku knew Arthur had grabbed him and had pinned him against the wall. In a swift move Arthur grabbed the pills from Kiku's hand and shifted his grip on the frightened teenager.

"Asa, what-" Kiku was interrupted as Arthur calmly forced his hand in his mouth in order to shove the pills to the back of his throat.

"Swallow them Kiku. If you don't you'll choke." Arthur replied as he kept the struggling Kiku in place. Kiku struggled to spit the pills back out but Arthur's hand prevented him from doing so. Realizing that Arthur was going to let him choke he eventually struggled to swallow the pills, something that he found difficult to do without water.

"Good boy, see that wasn't so hard was it?" Arthur removed his hands, one from Kiku's mouth and the other where he had pinned him to the wall by the throat. Kiku started to cough almost immediately as he was released, as if somehow trying to spit out the pills he had been forced to swallow. Arthur turned his attention to the tray of food as Kiku struggled to get the oxygen back in his lungs.

It had been bad enough that Arthur had almost choked him by putting one of his hands in his mouth, but when he had put his other hand on his throat… He felt as though he was about to die as the bell on the choker had been pressed mercilessly against his windpipe. That had also made it harder to swallow the pills. Kiku lifted his hands and tried to somehow massage his neck, even though the choker made it difficult to do so.

"Now I want you to eat all the food that I prepared for you, unless you want to repeat the incident with the pain killers." Kiku violently shook his head as he rubbed the tears that had come out of his eyes when Arthur had almost chocked him to death. Due to the handcuffs Kiku was forced to let Arthur spoon feed him. He quietly accepted the food, terrified of re-angering the Englishman. He had never seen Arthur act so coldly towards anyone before. That and the current situation he was in frightened him.

"Asa… please take me home. I promise not to tell anyone about this. Onegai." Kiku said as he grabbed Arthur's forearm as the British was about to leave. Arthur shook his head and smiled at Kiku before prying himself loose from teenager's grasp.

"Sorry Kiku, but even if you are telling me the truth… For you see, I have no intention of letting you go. I have to leave now to attend to some business. I'll be back in a couple of hours." Arthur opened the door wide enough to slip through, turned the light off, and securely closed and locked the door, leaving Kiku to quietly cry in the darkness of the room…

**Author's Note:**

Stupid Arthur... Before anyone jumps to any conclusions (unless you already have) those pills were really painkillers.

Sorry for my slow updating... My November Project is killing my brain, but I am not giving up on it.

I swear... I need to stop listening to sad or creepy music... I keep getting horrible ideas for more stories... Which I will eventually start writing...

Will try to speed up on my updating. And that's a promise!

Reviews are appreciated!


	5. Ivan

**Three Years Ago**

**(1/31)**

**Day After Kidnapture**

"Im Yong Soo, please take Kaoru and Meimei upstairs. There's some stuff I need to discuss with Ivan."

"Yes, Yao-nii. Come on you two, we better get started on our homework." Im Yong Soo said as he ushered them upstairs leaving Yao alone in the living room with Ivan.

The three children grabbed their stuff and went into Im Yong Soo's room in order to work on their homework together. Eventually Meimei sighed and put her pencil down.

"What's going on? Why isn't Kiku-nii home yet?"

"We don't know Meimei. We are in the dark as well." Kaoru replied as he looked up from his math textbook.

"The only thing I know is he didn't come to school today," Im Yong Soo said as he flipped a page of his Biology textbook.

"What do you mean he didn't come to school today?" Im Yong Soo looked up from his notes as his younger siblings were staring at him in shock. "Kiku-nii is not capable of ditching school!"

"Please tell me he at least appeared at the bookstore!" Meimei exclaimed as she looked into her elder brother's eyes. Im Yong Soo sighed and shook his head.

"I called Bella after school to see if by any chance she had seen him today. She said that the last time she saw him was last night when she offered to give him a ride home, but that he declined."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WAIT? I AM NOT GOING TO WAIT!"

All three of them jumped as they heard their brother shouting from downstairs. They glanced at each other and they zoomed out the door, homework all but forgotten. They quickly headed down the staircase and quietly approached the entryway into the living room.

"Please calm down Yao-yao. But that's the law."

"I don't care about the law! I am not going to wait 24 freaking hours!" Yao half-shouted as he stood there glaring at the Russian, who was sitting on the couch.

"But you know well that they are not going to accept the report. Teenagers have that tendency of disappearing for a while before magically reappearing."

"Kiku is different Ivan. He has never _ever_ done this type of thing! He always calls to say if he is delaying at school or at work! He is not capable of vanishing without a trace!" Three pairs of eyes looked at each other in astonishment before turning back to the scene happening in the living room.

"Listen, Ivan." Yao lowered his voice as he collapsed on the couch next to Ivan. "To be honest with you I have no idea for how long Kiku has been missing. The last time anyone saw him was when he finished working a double shift yesterday at eleven p.m. and he was heading home. I noticed he never arrived home after leaving the bookstore. Do you understand me so far?"

"Da, I do."

"Okay. Kiku is not a very sociable person. The only people he talks to are Ludwig and Feliciano plus a neighbor that moved away recently. Other than that Kiku refrains from speaking to anyone that is not a friend of his or part of our family, and I already told you his social circle included only three people."

"Da, go on."

"Kiku has never skipped school. He always goes even when he gets sick. Today I got a call from the school saying that Kiku never showed up to any of his classes today. I was surprised and I came home a bit earlier since I believed Kiku may have gotten severely ill. There was no sign whatsoever that he arrived home, Ivan! I am worried sick and I am afraid for Kiku's safety. So I beg you to please ignore the law and I want you to start the search for him!"

"I'll see what I can do Yao-yao. Please don't cry." Ivan said as he lifted Yao up and put him on his lap before pulling him into a hug.

"You better, or else I am going to give you sunflowers at your funeral." Yao said, and Ivan could tell he wasn't joking.

"And we will as well!" Yao and Ivan turned and stared in surprise as the three children walked into the living room.

"What are you guys doing here? I thought I told you to keep them upstairs Im Yong Soo."

"I did, but then we heard you yelling so we got curious and came downstairs."

"Yeah, we were wondering why you were yelling at Ivan since you have never done that before."

"Yao-nii… Is it true about what you just said? That Kiku-nii has gone missing?" Meimei asked as they turned their attention on their brother.

"I'm afraid so," Yao said as he got off Ivan's lap and hugged Meimei. "Don't worry I will do everything in my power to ensure that Kiku returns home soon, okay?"

"Okay Yao-nii." Meimei said as she was joined by Im Yong Soo and Kaoru. Ivan quietly watched them before standing up.

"I'll have to go now, da. I'll see what I can do."

"If you want I'll escort you out." Yao said. Ivan smiled and shook his head.

"It's alright. I believe you have some things to discuss with your family, da?" Yao nodded as Ivan left. He closed the front door behind himself and took out his car keys. Once inside he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number as he drove off.

"Yes, Gilbert? It's me Ivan. I want you to get the team assembled, and tell them to meet me in my office. Tell them I'll explain everything when I get there… Uh huh… Let's just say we are going on a treasure hunt."

**Author's Note:**

Gomen! I was supposed to update yesterday, but I was kidnapped to my BFF's 18th B-Day party. And today I was kidnapped to see Breaking Dawn Part 2. I am so going to make it up to you guys!

1) I posted a one-shot title _Open Your Eyes _a few days ago. And I also posted the Spanish version _Abre Los Ojos_.

2) I posted this chapter (Yay!)

3) I also posted a new chapter for a new project of mine (and no it's not the one for the poems. I wish it was, but it isn't). The story is called _Ward Room 305_. and I just posted it today (11/18/12). This story is also the result of my twisted mind.

4) Should be posting the next chapter of _The Ninja and the Pirate_ soon. I hit the wall and I am struggling to get past it (and so far it's not working...)


	6. Interrogation

**Present Time**

**(9/02)**

**16 Days After Being Rescued**

"I already told them so I am going to tell you now. He didn't kidnap me. I went with him willingly. What part of that don't you people understand?" Kiku said as he crossed his arms and glared at the person in front of him. The cops had sent him to a psychiatrist to 'help' him. He was annoyed that his nii-san seemed to be doing everything that they wanted.

_Asa... you were right. They already brainwashed my siblings and everyone that you supposedly kidnapped me._

"We are just trying to help you Kiku."

"And I already told you people I don't need any help!"

"Okay then. What do you want?"

"Huh?" Kiku blinked at the person in surprise. So far none of the others had asked him that question. He blankly stared at the psychiatrist, unsure of how to answer.

"Let me rephrase the question then. What is it that you want to do Kiku? Forget about what everyone wishes for you to do. Think about what you want and then tell me."

"I want to go back with Asa!" Kiku exclaimed a couple of seconds after the psychiatrist finished speaking. "He is going to be worried that I am not at the house!"

"Why?"

"Because he wasn't there when they kidnapped me over here. He had left the day before on… a business trip… yes, a business trip, and he was scheduled to return a week later! He must be searching for me since he can't contact me because my cell phone is under confiscation!"

"What sort of business trip was he on?" Kiku blinked at the question and tilted his head a little as he analyzed it.

"I don't know. He didn't tell me." Kiku said at last as he kept his face expressionless and spoke in monotone.

"Do you at least know where he was headed?"

"I believe he said he was going momentarily to Europe, but he never said which country."

"Is there anything else you want?"

"To get the rest of my stuff back and that includes my sword and house."

"The house is being processed for evidence and the sword is still under police custody."

"But why? I need my sword back!"

"Why do you need it back?"

"Because if Asa's enemies find out I am not with him they won't hesitate to come after me!"

"What enemies?"

"!?" Kiku looked alarmed at what he said and he chose to stay silent. He fidgeted a bit uneasily under the psychiatrist's calm stare. "I… I need to go back to Asa. He needs to know I am okay."

_Plus I need to get far away from here._

"You do know that for you to recuperate you need to stay as far away from him as possible."

"Recuperate from what?" Kiku shifted in his chair, his movements followed by the jingling of bells.

"Did Arthur ever do anything to you against your will?"

"Um…" Kiku tilted his head as he carefully thought about his answer. "No," he said at last as he looked at the person seated across from him. "He never did."

_And if he did, what makes you think I am going to tell you?_

"Did he always ask you for your permission before doing anything?"

"Yes" _Where is this leading off to…?_

"So that means that if Arthur wanted you to do anything you would do it?"

"Yes…" _What is he aiming at?_

"Those things you are wearing," the doctor said as he waved a hand at the items Kiku was wearing. "Did he force you to put them on or did you willingly accepted to put them on?"

"Of course I accepted. This items mark me as his! These items told the others that they weren't allowed to do anything to me without Asa's permission!"

"So he sold you off to other people?"

"No!" Kiku exclaimed as he glared at the person. "That's not what I said!"

"Then I wish for you to explain with more detail your answers. Before more people jump to the 'wrong' conclusions." Kiku narrowed his eyes, sensing the quotations in the sentence.

"Whenever he had company over he would have me perform for his guests. And they tend to… act strange when they have too much alcohol to drink. And I have never drunk anything before. I am still not old enough to do such things." Kiku quickly added as he answered the unasked question of his interrogator. "Some of his friends volunteered to teach me how to dance. That is when he started buying me the kimonos. At first because he wanted me to dance in them, but later because…" Kiku blushed as a bunch of memories passed through his mind.

"So pretty much you two…"

"And if we did its none of your business!" Kiku exclaimed as he continued to blush. "And if you so much as mention it again I am going to nickname you the new Im Yong Soo!"

"So there were other people that knew you were with him?"

"Yes. A lot of them, but I don't know the exact number. Some of them I only saw a couple of times before they left and never returned. Others would come to see him every once in a while."

"So there were some you never saw again?"

"Yes. They were ship- um… I mean… they left for unknown parts of the world." Kiku was biting one of his fingers as he realized he had been about to say something that was confidential.

"What exactly were you about to say?"

"Nothing! Um… Would you look at the time! It's time for me to go. It was nice talking to you. Bye!" Kiku said as he fled out the door and zoomed off to find his brother.

_Damn. I almost revealed one of our secrets! I better be careful next time. Augh! He caught me off guard, but next time I'll be ready. That way our secrets will remain safe. Asa… please come for me soon…_

**Author's Note:**

I am sorry that I have been neglecting this story and The Ninja and the Pirate! I was kind of busy updating Ward Room 305. *nervous laugh*

So I actually revealed a bunch more stuff in this chapter. Parts of that info are true and the rest are semi-lies.

Wonder what Kiku was about to reveal...?

I am finally starting to break the stupid wall that kept me from updating The Ninja and the Pirate. So Chapter 25 shall be up soon. And I finally came up with the ending! Yay!

Chapter 06 of Ward Room 305 should be up soon as well!


	7. The Day After

**Three Years Ago**

**(2/12)**

**13 Days After Being Kidnapped**

_Voices… I can hear a lot of voices. But I can't tell what they are saying… Why is it so cold?_

Kiku slowly opened his eyes and sleepily glanced at the door. The room was once more covered in a blanket of darkness. Apart from the comforting darkness the room was colder than usual. Kiku winced when he tried to move, the blankets and pillows provided some warmth to his cold skin. That and the fact that his body ached, slowly brought back the events from the night before to his sleep clouded mind.

He noticed that the bastard had not shackled him after last night's activities. He winced as he forced himself to move in order to dislodge one of the blankets that was under need him in order to wrap it around himself. He snuggled into it as he struggled to get warm. He knew it was still winter and he wondered why the heat wasn't on like it usually was.

He was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of voices coming from somewhere outside the door of his room. Apart from the voices he could tell someone was dragging something heavy across the floor. No… not something but what sounded like people dragging a lot of heavy objects across the floor. He also heard a lot of thumps as heavy items were carelessly dropped. It was hard to hear what they were saying; either they were speaking in low voices or the door and walls were doing a good job in muffling the voices.

After a while the voices quieted down and Kiku hid his face into one of the pillows when he heard the door open. He closed his eyes tightly as the door close and the light was turned on. After he was positive the light wasn't going to severely hurt his eyes he opened them, and after blinking a few times he looked up.

"How's my little flower doing?" Arthur said with a chuckle as he knelt next to Kiku.

"I'm cold." Kiku mumbled as he eyed the small pile of clothes that Arthur had brought. Arthur reached out, and despite Kiku's protests, carefully lifted him up into a sitting position and took the blanket away. Almost immediately Kiku tried covering himself and his actions earned him a bunch of laughter from Arthur.

"You're still shy aren't you?" Arthur was grinning at Kiku who was glaring at him. "Don't worry. Soon you won't mind been like this in my presence." As he spoke Arthur reached out and grabbed a black hooded sweatshirt and begin to put it on Kiku.

"I… I can change myself!" Kiku protested as Arthur ignored him and after putting on the sweatshirt he reached out and grabbed a pair of black sweatpants and helped Kiku put them on. Then Arthur helped Kiku stand up, and after a while he had Kiku leaning against the wall.

"Now I know this will be a bit scary but I promise I am not going to hurt you." Kiku stared at him trying to figure out what he meant when he noticed that Arthur had taken out a black blindfold. Despite what Arthur had said Kiku became frightened and pressed himself against the wall.

"Shh. It's going to be alright. I promise." Arthur tried to coax him as he put the blindfold on him. Then he felt Arthur put the hood of the sweatshirt on his head. Kiku was frightened of what Arthur was going to do to him for he had used that voice on him the night before and considering where it ended up leading off to… Kiku was startled out of his thoughts as Arthur grabbed his hand.

"Did I startle you? I'm sorry." Kiku felt Arthur kiss him before he sensed Arthur shift in front of him and Kiku felt Arthur put his hands on his shoulders. "I want you to hold on since I am going to carry you on my back out of the room. Do you understand?"

"Hai," Kiku murmured as he grabbed onto Arthur and he tightened his grip on Arthur as he hoisted him onto his back.

"Whatever you do don't take the blindfold off."

"Hai. Wakarimasu."

"Alright. You guys may open the door now."

_Guys? How many other people are here!?_

Kiku shifted a bit uneasily on Arthur's back as he felt him walk towards the opening door. Frightened he lowered his head and hid his face into Arthur's shoulder.

"It's alright. No one is going to hurt you." Arthur murmured in a reassuring voice to him, obviously sensing the fear coming from Kiku. "Yo! You may put the packages in the room now. My flower and I shall await you in the living room." As Arthur walked away Kiku heard the other people dragging and carrying the packages into the room that he had been occupying.

After a while Arthur carefully put him down before taking the blindfold off him. Kiku looked around and noticed that Arthur had taken him into the living room. His eyes filled with wonder at the expensive taste that Arthur had. Vaguely, at the back of his mind, he was wondering where Arthur had gotten the money to buy everything that the living room had.

"Now before they return," Arthur's voice interrupted his train of thought as Kiku looked at Arthur, who had sat down next to him on the leather loveseat. "There are some things I am going to explain to you. My friends and I are going to be talking about business and I don't want you to interrupt in any way. For the time being don't answer any questions that they aim at you. I'll do all the talking, but I doubt they will ask you anything. All I want you to do is sit quietly here, understood."

"Yes, Asa."

"Good. I can hear them coming back. Now just sit quietly and make yourself look pretty, which is something that you can already do with ease." Kiku just stared at him dumbfounded before he averted his attention to the people that had come into the living room. According to Kiku five strangers sat down across from them and they immediately begin talking with Arthur. Despite the fact that some of them would glance at him every once in a while, they didn't ask him any questions.

At some point Kiku stopped paying attention to what they were saying and he sleepily leaned into Arthur, who in turn wrapped an arm around him before resuming with his business talk. He vaguely noticed that at some point they were speaking in a language that he didn't understand. He must have dozed off because next thing he knew Arthur was gently shaking him awake.

"Stay here alright. I am just going to walk them to the front door." Kiku nodded and rubbed his eyes as Arthur escorted his guests out of the house. Kiku was beginning to fall asleep again when Arthur returned and sat down next to him.

"Who were they?" Kiku asked after a while.

"They are friends and business partners of mine."

"What type of business do you even work for?"

"The shipment of goods."

"What-" Kiku was interrupted as Arthur kissed him and pinned him down. Kiku struggled as Arthur grabbed his arms and tightened his grip on them. Kiku stopped struggling before Arthur could give him a new set of bruises.

"That's better. You really are a fast learner my beloved Kiku." Arthur then stood up and got Kiku on his back again. "Now, due to the packages I put in your room, you are going to be sleeping in my room until I get the packages shipped off, okay. Don't worry it will probably take me a week or two to sell them."

"… I understand." Kiku murmured as Arthur climbed the stairs to the second floor.

"You are still tired aren't you? Don't worry I won't keep you up for long."

"Hai. Wakarimasu."

**Author's Note:**

I finally update! Yay! This college semester has ended already so my updates will start to speed up again.

This chapter hints at a lot of stuff. And I will clarify a good portion of it later.

About the packages... that will be revealed later...

You guys may also want to pay attention to the dates. They hold hints of time skips and significance.


	8. The First Attempt

**Warning:** Minor Violence

**Three Years Ago**

**(3/5)**

**34 Days After Being Kidnapped**

_It's time._

Kiku carefully opened the door of Arthur's bedroom. Unlike the previous room he had occupied, this one didn't have any extra locks that could prevent him from existing it. The doorknob of this room was also different. The other one was designed so that it was impossible to unlock or lock it from the inside. This one gave you that freedom to decide.

The corridor was empty as he stepped out into it. The house was quiet, and he stood there for a while, making sure that he could hear no other noise coming from inside the house. After a while he turned and carefully closed the door behind himself. He was tempted to lock it, but he knew that if he did the door would make a lot of noise once he closed it. He wasn't sure he truly was alone.

He carefully made his way over to the staircase, all the while making as little noise as possible. He quickly descended the staircase at the same time he heard a door opening somewhere in the house. Stopping before reaching the landing he heard the door close, and he was able to pinpoint it to the first floor.

Without thinking about it he bolted for the front door. His hand closed around the doorknob when he heard someone approaching. After fumbling with the doorknob he managed to unlock it. To his relieve the top lock could be unlocked without a key. He was opening the door when he heard someone call out his name. Ignoring the person he ran across the porch and down the stairs.

As he ran he quickly scanned his surroundings. He definitely wasn't in an area he recognized. There seemed to be a lot of trees though. Deciding that it was best if he took his chances and saw what was on the other side of those trees he ran the length of the path before curving and running into the protection of the trees.

Now that he was out of the clean and even path it became easier for him to hear that someone was giving chase. The chances of him succeeding depended if he managed to find someone, anyone that could help him get back home. He wasn't a very fast runner but he was hoping he would endure and somehow outrun the other person.

And if the person turned out to be who he thought it was then…

"Gotcha!" Kiku shrieked as he was unexpectedly grabbed around the wait and hoisted into the air. Immediately he began kicking, in hopes of somehow hurting the bastard. As the person pulled him closer he began to wildly lash out, struggling with all his strength. In the midst of his struggles he must have somehow dealt a heavy blow because the person dropped him.

Either that or he was dropped on purpose. Before he could regain his balance the person was on top of him, pinning him down on the cold frozen ground. Brown eyes met green as both of them struggled.

"Thought you could get away?" Arthur said with a chuckle as he grabbed one of Kiku's arms, but was unsuccessful in grabbing the other. Kiku's other hand somehow found its way to Arthur's blond hair. Out of instinct he grabbed a handful and pulled with all the strength that he could muster. That made Arthur let go of his right arm. Just as Kiku was letting go of Arthur slapped him. Instead of backing down like last time Kiku fought back as much as he could. He knew he was the one at the disadvantage but he was determined to make it clear to the bastard that Kiku could hurt him back if he wanted to.

Then Kiku felt Arthur's hand go around his throat at some point during their fight. He had taken the chocker off in order to not cause unnecessary noise in his escape. Apart from that he wasn't fond of it because it would create a lot of noise when he moved and it also irritated his neck.

"Bastard!" Kiku managed to gasp out as he struggled to somehow claw one of Arthur's eyes out. Arthur would move as far as he could away from Kiku's hands but that didn't stop Kiku from giving him scratches on his face. Arthur kept a tight grip on him until Kiku passed out due to the lack of air. Then he looked calmly down at him.

He was going to have to try another tactic in order to prevent him from attempting to run away again. Locking him up in the safe room was not going to get Kiku to behave or to accept his authority over him. And besides he still had some of the packages in there and it was best for Kiku to not know yet what type of packages they were.

After checking to make sure Kiku was breathing okay, he scooped him up and carried him back to the house. He was going to have to play his cards right and apparently he was going to have to impose a strange type of freedom with the boy. He chuckled to himself as he walked back to his house.

_Looks like he is going to be the hardest one of them all. He harbors no other feelings for me but hatred and fear. And that's something I am going to have to change. After all I need him as a willing partner to live and work alongside myself. And the moment he falls… there will be no one that will be able to separate him from me._

**Author's Note:**

Yay! I finally updated this story! Sorry for keeping you all waiting. I kind of ran into a wall and it took me a while to type this. This chapter is actually the second version due to the fact the first one didn't come out very good...

Will try to update soon!


	9. Francis

"I already told you no," Kiku said as he sat cross-legged on his bed. "When are you and the others going to understand that?"

"So you are going to continue denying that you knew what Arthur was doing?" Matthew asked from where he was seated on Kiku's desk chair.

"I'm not denying anything. I'm just telling you that I didn't know what he was doing."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes. He never allowed me to get involved in whatever he was doing." Before Matthew could reply there was a soft knock on the door before the door opened.

"Sorry to interrupt," Meimei said as she let the door swing open. "But someone's here to see you Kiku-nii."

"Who is it?"

"He says his name is Francis and that he is a friend of yours." Kiku made a move as if to get up and leave before he stopped and turned to look at Matthew.

"You may go," Matthew said as he stood up. "We can finish this another time."

"Of course," Kiku said as he got off his bed and followed Meimei downstairs. Matthew followed them as Meimei led Kiku to the living room. Matthew spotted someone he didn't recognize sitting on one of the couches and stroking Sakura, who was purring contentedly.

"Francis!"

"Ma- Kiku!" Matthew looked as the person stood up, despite a small protest from Sakura. He was a couple of inches taller than Kiku and has his long blond hair tied back in a ponytail. His blue eyes shone with relief as Kiku almost glomped him to the floor.

"It's been so long!"

"It has hasn't it?"

"What's the commotion?" Matthew turned to see Yao walking over from where he had been cleaning.

"Apparently a friend of Kiku-nii's came over to see him." Meimei said as those two continued talking.

"Yao-nii, may I go out with Francis?" Kiku asked noticing that Yao was there. "I promise to be back in time for dinner!"

"Alright, just make sure you do return in time for dinner."

"I will! Let's go Francis!" Kiku said as he almost dragged Francis out, who in turn said a couple of goodbyes before they left.

"Who was that?" Im Yong Soo asked as he walked over from where he and Kaoru were cleaning the kitchen.

"A friend of Kiku-nii's," Meimei replied as she looked at Im Yong Soo. "Even though I have never seen him before."

"Neither have I."

"I though Kiku-nii's only friends were Ludwig and Feliciano." Kaoru added as he appeared right next to Im Yong Soo.

"That is strange isn't it?" Matthew said as he looked at them. "So none of you have ever seen him before?"

"No"

"Never"

"Nope"

"No," Yao said with a sigh. "The only people, outside the family of course, that Kiku would interact with were Arthur, Ludwig, and Feliciano. Also Gilbert and Lovino, but that was because they are the siblings to his best friends.

"I have to go now, but I will be back in two days time," Matthew said as he looked at his watch. "I wish you all a good day."

"Bye!" Meimei, Kaoru, and Im Yong Soo said before heading back to finish their chores.

"Bye, and thanks for everything that you are doing." Yao said as he saw Matthew off.

"No need to thank me. Good day to you." Matthew sighed as he got in his car and drove off.

_Who was that person?_

_Meanwhile…_

"So you don't know where he is?" Kiku asked Francis as they continued walking together.

"Non Maître. I haven't seen him or heard from him."

"You are going to have to get out of the habit of calling me that." Kiku said with a sigh as he looked at Francis.

"But-"

"Arthur's not here, so he can't object. Besides," Kiku said as he smiled at Francis. "I'm the only one allowed to boss you around, so you don't need to worry about him."

"Even when you go back with him?"

"Even when I go back with him." Kiku said as he stretched a little. "It does feel nice to hear you call me by my first name."

"Ma- Kiku," Francis said as he corrected himself. "What are you planning to do?"

"Go back with him, but for that I need to find him. I believe he knows where I am, but he and I must wait for the most appropriate time to act."

"Je vois …"

"Plus I need to get my stuff back, especially the weaponry that they haven't found and confiscated."

"If you want I can already help you with that." Francis said as he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a metal fan before handing it to Kiku.

"My tessen!" Kiku said as he opened the fan.

"I also have the other one." Francis said as he handed it over.

"How did you get them?" Kiku asked as he looked at Francis.

"I was cleaning them when they captured you. I took them and a bunch of the other weapons into the secret room that was there. I was forced to stay there until they left and I snuck myself and the weapons out."

"What other weapons?"

"Your kodachi, two of the guns plus their ammunition, both of your suntetsu, and your wakizashi."

"That's good enough. Can you bring them to me?"

"Oui."

"You can keep the guns and the kodachi. As my personal bodyguard you need to have weaponry."

"Oui Maître… I mean… Yes Kiku."

"Okay! We have a couple of hours till dinner. Do you have a place to stay?"

"Non. I was hanging out by your house before I headed over here."

"I guess I will have to sneak you in…" Kiku said as he looked at Francis. "And make sure the others don't find you. I would give you the money to rent a place, but I believe they have found and confiscated my bank account."

"They haven't, if you want I can go and get you your stuff back."

"How do you know they haven't?"

"They would keep an eye on the house and its surroundings, but there were times when they only kept an eye on the surroundings. That made it easy for me to get what I needed plus hide all of the stuff that I could."

"Okay, here is what we are going to do. You are going to go and get back all the stuff you have been able to save and see what else they haven't found and bring it to me. I, on the other hand, will have to keep the police and everyone else at bay. And you might want to hurry, I have no idea if his enemies have found out we've been separated. And I definitely need you by my side."

"Oui, they might have found out already."

"Then it's best to hurry. Come, let me show you around before we get our first part of our plan going."

**Author's Note:**

Yay! I updated! So now I have introduced a brand new character to the story. Don't worry, things will start to be revealed soon!

**Oui -** Yes (French)

**Maître -** Master (French)

**Je vois -** I understand (French)

**Kodachi -** literally translating into "small or short _tachi_ (sword)", is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Kodachi are from the early Kamakura period (1185–1333) and are in the shape of a tachi. Kodachi are mounted in tachi style but with a length of less than 60cm.

**Suntetsu -** A metal rod/spike about 6 inches in length with a ring attached to it. The middle finger is inserted into the ring and the Suntetsu rests in the hand by various grips. Suntetsu are small, easy to conceal and relatively simple to learn how to use. Suntetsu are used for stabbing, poking, pinching, striking, smashing, scraping and throwing. You can use a single Suntetsu or a pair.

**Tessen - **Folding fans with outer spokes made of iron which were designed to look like normal, harmless folding fans or solid clubs shaped to look like a closed fan. Samurai and Ninja could take these to places where swords or other overt weapons were not allowed, and some swordsmanship schools included training in the use of the _tessen_ as a weapon. The _tessen_ was also used for fending off arrows and darts, as a throwing weapon, and as an aid in swimming. The outer edge of the fan could also be sharpened so they could also be used to cut an opponent. The fighting style of using a fan is called _TESSENJUTSU._


End file.
